Star Trek Discovery Review: “The Wolf Inside”

Discovery has been back for two weeks, and since its return it seems to be addressing some valid criticisms of its initial run. The mid-season premiere, “Despite Yourself” made an effort to reward Trek fans with the presence of the Mirror universe, perhaps to satisfy fans who don’t feel Discovery feels like a Star Trek show.

However, “The Wolf Inside” is instead geared towards faithful viewers of Discovery on its own, with twists and plot threads built up across the entire run so far. This addresses another common criticism of Discovery; that the pace is too slow, at least for a show released on a weekly basis.

Unfortunately, since the episode is dedicated to these twists and pay offs, it’s difficult to discuss the story without spoiling it. If you haven’t watched “Wolf” yet, we suggest you go watch it first, and perhaps a recap of the series so far if you need refreshing on the major plot threads.

Major Spoilers ahead! Read with discretion

As the title suggests, “The Wolf Inside” is about duplicity. We pick up with Burnham in the mirror universe, still pretending to be the savage captain of the USS Shenzhou. She is struggling to maintain this façade in the face of such common cruelty, pretending to enjoy executing her comrades and inflicting cruelty on other people.

This is one of Burnham’s (And Sonequa Martin-Green’s) strongest outings so far. While last week’s episode played the mirror universe for laughs, this story takes the reality of the situation seriously. While Lorca could allow casual cruelty in the interest of the greater good, Burnham can’t; and this is a sign of how she has changed since the series began.

Back in “The Vulcan Hello”, Burnham was willing to fire on the Klingon’s for similar reasons, but since then she has grown and become more compassionate, without sacrificing her strength or conviction. Indeed, a huge aspect of “Wolf” is her attempts to save the ‘Alien resistance’, something which doesn’t affect her universe or her mission.

Indeed, when the mirror Universes Sarek (sporting a goatee, a nod to the original “Mirror Mirror” story) mind melds with her, he senses such compassion that he is willing to ally himself with her despite her reputation. This episode uses the ‘Mirror’ concept to show how far all the Discovery crew have come, which rewards faithful viewers patience.

At the same time, Tilly is attempting a radical procedure in order to save Stamet’s life. Discoveries initial run of episodes mostly used Tilly for comic relief. Indeed, the most notable fan takeaway from her character was dropping an ‘F-bomb’ for the first time in Trek history.

But this episode allows her some much needed agency. In fact, in the last two episodes alone, Tilly has sat in the captain’s chair, stared down enemy captains and is now potentially saving the ship with her intuition. There still hasn’t been a Tilly centred episode so far, but it seems like the showrunners finally believes she could be a captain someday.

Unfortunately, Burnham isn’t the only wolf in the fold. Tyler, last seen killing Doctor Culber to hide a dark secret, has his true nature revealed at last. After facing off with the Mirror universes version of Voq, last seen in “The Butchers Knife Cares Not for the Lambs Cry”, the truth of Tyler’s traumatic dreams is sadly revealed.

As some fans figured out, Tyler, who mysteriously appeared originally in “Choose your Pain” as a Klingon prisoner, is instead a Klingon spy. In fact, he’s not just any Klingon, but Voq, the albino Klingon that succeeded T’Kuvma at the start of the series.

It’s rather surprising that this reveal came so soon; this twist seems like something more akin to a series finale. But dropping the twist now does wonders for this story. The emotional main thread of “Wolf” is trying to be the best person you can in a cruel environment. Indeed, this could be a thesis statement for the entirety of Discovery, even before the Mirror Universe appeared.

Of course, the ‘Mirror Universe’ story isn’t over yet, and there’s a possibility that the confrontation at the imperial palace next week may not stick the landing dramatically. But the reappearance of the late Captain Georgiou, now emperor of the Mirror Universe, is a fantastic cliffhanger, likely to go down as one of the best in the franchise.

It may also give fans of Georgiou (and Michelle Yeoh’s performance) some much needed closure on her treatment in those earlier episodes.

But despite the odds, Burnham and the crew try to uphold the most noble aspects of the Star Trek franchise; peace at all costs, mercy rather than vengeance, diplomacy over imperialism. While Discovery feels more akin to Star Wars than its roots at times, this principle is at the heart of the ‘Mirror universe’ run of stories.

Discovery seems to have finally learned how to walk a line between modern drama and traditional Trek values. As Saru himself says to the revealed traitorous Tyler

“We may be stranded in a cruel, anarchic world, but we are still Starfleet”

So while Discovery may have been too grim and harsh in its earlier run, it seems to have finally found its heart in this newest run of stories. Let’s hope it can keep them when eventually return to the Klingon war back at home.

Cian O Ceallacháin is a Writer and Theatre Director from Dun Laoghaire. His company, Underdog Theatre Productions, has produced new shows such as Aislings Seven (The Central Bank Heist), The Collector, and the upcoming children's show School for Dinosaurs!